Page 46 of Into The Rabbit Hole

“Me, too. Let’s just hope we don’t have to wait too long. Detective Fray has been working with us for some time now. I know that if there’s a way to speed things up, he’ll doit.”

Although Chloe was nodding in agreement, she was screaminginside.

The next day, having had no sleep and hardly anything to eat, she thought she was going to go completely mad. By nightfall she’d had enough and snuck out of the beach house while Kelly was watchingFashion Police. Taylor was with Wes so the task was mucheasier.

Chloe then went home. To Wade’s house. Theirhouse.

The place was exactly the way that she had left it, but she busied herself cleaning, even though everything was spotless. She cleaned the house from top to bottom until the early hours of the morning when tiredness took over and she could no longer move around. When her legs gave out, she went tobed.

It was nearly ten when she woke up, but she got ready for work and went toRunway. Chloe expected another telling off from Regina, and additional scolding from Kelly, Wes, and Taylor, because she awoke to a series of messages from each of them. She didn’t care, though. Everyone had their ways to deal with different situations. This was hers. She wanted to do what she wanted to do, not what everyone else was telling her. That way would make her go crazyquicker.

“The designer list for Fashion Week has now been finalized.” Lisa beamed, coming up to Chloe’s desk. Chloe had just rose from behind her computer. She was going to grab somelunch.

“That’s fantastic.” She tried to soundhappy.

“Girl, I would believe you more if you’d tried to smile.” Lisa giggled. “Your boy’s going to be home soon.” She smiled brightly atChloe.

The good thing about Lisa was that she was one of those genuine people who you could be real with. Chloe could always talk to her and she was definitely afriend.

“I know, and I’m sorry, I just… It’s been a difficult time,” Chloeexpressed.

“Why don’t you go home? Everyone understands what’s been going on.” Lisa sympathized, her brown eyes full ofconcern.

“I’ve already had a number of days off. I don’t want to seemunprofessional.”

Lisa looked at her askance. “Are you kidding? You unprofessional? Chloe, things happened and no one here is going to think that of you. Like I said, we understand, and hey, I have yourback.”

Chloe thought for a moment and thought it might be a good idea to go home. Maybe she could go back to the beach house. “Thanks, I appreciate you alot.”

“I know. Come on, let’s walk.” Lisasmiled.

Chloe picked up her little purse and they walked out of the Closet and onto the balcony. Lisa started talking about the designers again and Chloe took the clipboard with the line up from her. When she saw it, she actually felt excited. Everyone that she loved was going to be there, all the usual big names like Gucci, Dior, Chanel, and Tom Ford. But the new ones were, too, likePierre.

Seeing his name on the list made her think back to months ago. It was as if something changed that day when she submitted her application to be creative director. Everything had changed since then. It felt like her mind had expanded to accommodate the changes in her life. A lot of bad things had happened, bad things that made the good things feel weak. It was easy to wish that life could be different, much simpler, like when all she had to evade was Kelly’s disgusting tea and weird guys from the dating site asking herout.

But she wouldn’t want to change things and take away the good. Nothing on Earth would make her want to do that. Her love for Wade was something that she loved feeling, there weren’t any words yet that could capture a good description of how she felt about him, and that was why she just couldn’t wait to have himback.

“This year is going to be good, Lisa.” Chloe smiled at her. They stopped at the top of the stairs on the secondfloor.

Lisa nodded with pure excitement. “You know, I have a good feeling about this.Runwayis going to benefit from this a lot. Wait till you see the request list for the months after the show. We have magazine requests coming out of the windows and thedoors.”

At that, Chloe widened her eyes. That genuinely got her even more excited. Being able to see the figures and everything more on a senior level gave her that step above what she used to be. When she first got the position, she decided to make Lisa her assistant and allow her the same privileges she had. Hearing this was happening was big news and she imagined Fashion Week would give them enough stability to run until the next one and the one after that.Runwaywas goingplaces.

“Maybe I should stay. I’d like to see the requests.” It would give her ideas, if only for the upcoming shows after Fashion Week. There was no harm planning ahead, and the distraction was mostwelcomed.

“Um…” A brighter smile beamed from Lisa’s beautiful face. “I have a very good feeling that you’ll want to keep that idea to take the rest of the day off, and possibly the rest of the week.” She was looking over Chloe’s shoulder and at something below them. When Lisa took back the clipboard, Chloe turned to see what she was looking at andfroze.

She wasn’t looking at something. It was someone. It wasWade.

He’d seen her, too, the minute she looked down at him. Clutching her hand to her chest, she immediately left Lisa and flew down the stairs. She’d never gotten down those stairs so quickly. Her legs took on a life of their own and she moved as if she were flying and couldn’t actually feel the ground. He moved to her, too, looking at her as if she was all he could see. Into his awaiting arms she went. Straight home, because that’s what it felt like. Being in his arms, or anywhere near him, felt like beinghome.

He lifted her and she wrapped her arms around him, hugging him hard. Hugging him with all the strength she had in her being. She was so consumed with the feel of his arms around her that she just barely managed to hear the sounds of cheers aroundthem.

Chloe lifted her head to see everyone around clapping. She slid down him as he released her and she took a moment to smile at those whocheered.

He was already looking at her when she returned her gaze to him. Those enchanting gray eyes beamed back at her with so much love it made her heart swell. In that confident, cocky manner he usually exuded, he took her hand and said, “Come on, let’sgo.”